CHANGING YOUR CAR TIRE

Knowing how to change a tire is an essential skill that all drivers should know how to do. While completing a tire change might see a little intimidating at first, following our step by step tutorial below will guide you through the process. Before diving into the actually tire change make sure you have a spare tire, a wrench, a lug wrench, a jack, and an owner’s manual.

1.  Upon realizing that you need to change your tire, you will want to find a location or any traffic free area where you can pull over, turn on your hazard lights, and begin the tire change process. Once you are in a safe area you will want to apply your parking brakes.
2. Use a wheel wedge, or any large object such as a rock or cinder block to keep the wheels from rolling. This is another precaution on top of having your parking brakes on to keep you safe. At this step you can slightly loosen the lug nuts with the lug wrench, or you can wait to do this until the vehicle is raised with the jack.
3. Next you will use the jack to raise the vehicle so you can remove and replace the damaged tire. To do this, you should place the jack under the vehicle frame near the flat tire. Since different vehicles may have different builds, you should consult your owner’s manual to make sure that the placement of the jack does not cause damage to your vehicle.
4. Use the jack to elevate the vehicle around half a foot off the ground.
5. Now using the lug wrench, fully unscrew the lug nuts and put them in a safe place being sure not to lose them.
6. Once the lug nuts are loosened, remove the flat tire by pulling it towards you.
7. Attach the spare tire to the lug bolts by lining up the rim with the lug bolts and gently pushing towards the vehicle.
8. Tighten the lug nuts by first using your hands to attach the lug nuts to the car. You will use the lug wrench to make them tighter later on.
9. Lower the jack so that the wheel is touching the ground, but the jack is still supporting he weight of the vehicle and tighten the lug nuts fully with the lug wrench.
10. Completely lower the vehicle and replace the hubcap. If the hubcap does not fit on your spare, you can skip this step.
11. Finally pack away all of the equipment used and check the pressure in your spare tire.

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